With over 30,000 unique cards in MTG at this point, it’s no wonder that players struggle to keep track of them all. Now, in fact, thanks to the absolute avalanche of new cards we’re getting, it doesn’t take much for a card to get forgotten. This, in turn, can lead to powerful utility and combo engines being remarkably affordable.
Admittedly, many cheap old cards are held back by damning limitations and symmetrical effects. While it’s possible to get around these and cause havoc, the need to put work in does complicate their appeal. Thankfully, Salvaging Station suffers from no such fault, as this card is, seemingly, just unknown and underrated.
MTG Salvaging Station
According to EDHREC, Salvaging Station only appears in a smidgen over 6,000 Commander decks at the moment. While it does have a slightly beefy mana cost, this play rate does seem remarkably low for a colorless value engine. Right now, it seems that only decks that can properly break this artifact are interested in playing it, which feels like a huge missed opportunity.
Curiously, even the decks that do use Salvaging Station don’t play it a ridiculous amount. EDHREC’s data indicates that Breya, Etherium Shaper is the most popular home, but even then, Salvaging Station appears in just 1.3% of lists. Considering the insane synergy that Salvaging Station has with Breya, if nothing else, this low play rate is definitely surprising.
By easily fueling Salvaging Station’s untap clause through her Thopter creation and sacrifice abilities, reanimating artifacts from the grave is a breeze. Similarly, Commanders like Jan Jansen, Chaos Crafter, can handle half of this equation, turning Salvaging Station into a repeatable value machine.
Synergy aside, Salvaging Station is honestly just a useful MTG card. In Commander, there are tons of utility artifacts that get sacrificed when used, like Mishra’s and Wayfarer’s Bauble or Nihil Spellbomb. Getting to reanimate any of these once per turn lets Salvaging Station easily provide value over a long game.
Even the slightly high mana cost of Salvaging Station isn’t really a problem at the end of the day. Not only is six mana far from unheard of in Commander, but even playing in on curve means you’ve got tons to reanimate. Thanks to this, Salvaging Station could easily fit in a ton of Commander decks, even without dedicated support pieces.
Infinite Artifact Reanimation
While Salvaging Station has serious potential even when unsupported, this card enables tons of combos when built around. Many of these only require two extra cards, as well, and can even end the game on the spot. Alongside Flayer Husk and Grinding Station, for instance, Salvaging Station enables infinite Mill wins remarkably easily.
Thanks to being an artifact with Living Weapon, Flayer Husk essentially counts as an artifact in the graveyard and a creature on the board. This lets it be targeted by Salvaging Station’s reanimation before untapping it when sacrificed. Since Grinding Station Mills an opponent for three each time you sacrifice Flayer Husk, winning with this combo is trivial.
If Mill isn’t your thing, you can also get infinite damage by using Blasting Station. Alternatively, Krark-Clan Ironworks will let you make infinite colorless mana for a Walking Ballista win. Throw in a Summoning Station into any one of these loops, and you can also make infinite 2/2 tokens.
As if this somehow weren’t enough, March of the Machines enables even more combo potential. Not only will any zero-cost artifact go infinite with this pair, but any colorless one-cost artifact can be looped and used alongside Krark-Clan Ironworks. Realistically, there are so many infinite combos available with Salvaging Station that exploiting this card seems inevitable, even if you’re barely trying.
A Budget Bomb
Given the potential of Salvaging Station within focused strategies and outside of them, it certainly seems wildly underplayed. While it is 22 years old, other cards from Fifth Dawn haven’t struggled to get recognition. Crucible of Worlds, Staff of Domination, and Vedalken Orrery all originated in this set and are staples in Commander.
While Salvaging Station’s lack of play rate may be surprising, it’s good news for anyone looking to pick up a copy. Unlike the aforementioned staples from Fifth Dawn, copies of Salvaging Station are remarkably cheap. Right now, on TCGplayer, you can pick up a near-mint copy of Salvaging Station for just $1.43.
Notably, since there are only 25 listings for near-mint copies of Salvaging Station left on the market, these prices could spike. Even with plenty of worse-condition copies being available for even less, too, there’s not a great deal of supply. Since this card has only been printed in Fifth Dawn so far, it’s easy to see how this card could spike.
Ultimately, even if Salvaging Station does end up increasing in price, it’s well worth considering in Commander. After all, if you’re building an artifact-focused deck or just love utility artifacts, this card provides tremendous value.
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